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PAC-MAN Universe
Warning! This page will undergo changes over time. As of right now, none of this is final! Please do not vandalise this page. Seriously. That'd just be rude. Don't be rude >:( Summary PAC-MAN Universe is a 3D platformer developed and published by an in-house team at Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is supposedly a spiritual successor to the PAC-MAN World series, as it contains gameplay elements from all 3 games, such as Rev Rolling, Butt Bouncing, Pac-Dot throwing, and punches as a method of attack, as well as new elements, such as redesigned ghosts, various new locations, and more insight to beloved characters. PAC-MAN Universe officially released worldwide on October 15th, 2020 for PAC-MAN's 40th anniversary. Though despite this, Namco themselves sees it as not only "a celebration of PAC-MAN, but a celebration of our history;" as the game also contains various refrences to previous Namco games; let alone PAC-MAN games. Story The game's plot revolves around PAC-MAN and his wife, Ms. PAC-MAN trying to restore universal harmony by travelling through different worlds; all themed around classic Namco arcade games. The Ghost Gang (Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde) are all plotting on ways to get revenge on PAC-MAN and the other Pac-People for leaving them imprisoned in The Spectral Realm. The four then come across an evil spirit named Terrorfy, who is interested in helping them. Terrorfy proposes to break the world's universal harmony by disrupting each of the 10 Sacred Universes; who keep the world in balance via their inhabitants, who are all at peace. The peacefulness of the 10 universes combined creates harmony; harmony that, if destroyed, would not only destroy the 10 Sacred Universes; but the Pacaverse (PAC-MAN's universe) and other universes as well; leaving nothing but The Spectral Realm intact, so that the ghosts can create a new world of their own to thrive in. Meanwhile in Pac-Village, Ms. PAC-MAN, Jr. PAC-MAN, and Pac-Baby are all preparing for PAC-MAN'S 40th birthday party. The village mailman, Paul the Pooka, arrives at the family's doorstep bringing back a giant yellow and white cake labelled "HAPPY 40th!" The group hide, preparing to surprise PAC-MAN; but as it turns out, in a humorus reveal, he is shown in the dining room eating the cake and saying "You know, Ms. Pac...you really outdid yourself with the cake this year." The group, excited to see PAC-MAN, give him a great big hug. After this, they begin to eat and conversate about PAC-MAN's birthday. They then prepare to sing happy birthday to PAC-MAN, but right before he can blow out the candles, the house begins to shake rapidly; and it is then pulled into a tractor beam. This tractor beam is revealed to be coming from a giant space station belonging to none other than Professor Pac; who brings terrible news! He tells PAC-MAN that the world is about to collapse, and it needs his help! The ghosts are plotting to destroy universal balance by causing things to go awry in each of the 10 Sacred Universes; leading to a potentially devastating scenario. PAC-MAN, always raring for adventure, is gladly willing to help; and Ms. PAC-MAN is just as willing to join him, and so the two begin their journey. This is where the adventure begins... Gameplay The gameplay; in terms of controls, is very similar in structure to PAC-MAN World 2; with a mix of elements from World 1 and World 3. PAC-MAN/Ms. PAC-MAN's movesets consist of jumping (which serves no explanation), Rev Rolling, a powerful move which propels the character forward after being charged up, similarly to Sonic the Hedgehog's trademark spindash, and Butt Bouncing, a move which, when after pressing the jump button in mid-air, will send the character flying down and bouncing back up; higher than a regular jump. Butt Bounces can be performed infinitely. There are also two primary methods of attack; punching and Pac-Dot throwing. Punching causes you to send out a simple; yet effective 3-hit combo to enemies. Pac-Dot throwing can be performed by holding down the left bumper on your controller to strafe, and pressing the punch button to throw a Pac-Dot. Levels are either linear, objective based, or a completely different style of gameplay altogether. Each of the 10 Sacred Universes represents an in-game world. Each world has 11 levels to go through, with the final level in each being reserved for a boss fight. The level design is very similar to PAC-MAN World 2's tight and condensed; yet still very open levels. Collectible items include Pac-Dots, and classic PAC-MAN fruit, like apples, oranges, cherries, melons, strawberries, bananas, and grapes. Galaxians return as well, being found through hidden corners of levels or inside of enemies after they are killed. Collecting a Galaxian takes you to a maze in the style of the original PAC-MAN games, though with the modern PAC-MAN Universe graphics and a theme based on whichever Sacred Universe you obtained the Galaxian in. After clearing a Sacred Universe, you are given access to a new arcade machine in Prof. Pac's arcade; which he uses to document "ancient machinery;" and by ancient machinery, I mean the classic Namco arcade game that the Sacred Universe you just beat was based on. The machines for PAC-MAN, PAC-Mania, and Ms. PAC-MAN are unlocked by default. Health pickups include health wedges and lives. You start with 3 wedges by default, and if you lose them all, you die. Health wedges can either be recovered by eating 50 Pac-Dots (which only works if you're missing a wedge,) or they can be obtained physically by finding them in a level. You start with 5 lives by default. The life counter reverts to 5 if you enter a new level and you exited the previous one with less lives, but if you have more than 5, it stays that way. A new life is obtained if you collect 50 Pac-Dots (provided you have all your wedges), and losing all your lives leads to a game over. 100%ing the game is a difficult feat; but after you do, you gain access to a new level called "Klonoa's Challenge," which transports you to the world of cult favorite Namco character Klonoa; who, after meeting PAC-MAN, is incredibly starstruck. Klonoa, in excitement, wants to know if PAC-MAN is truly as legendary as people tell him he is, and so he sends you through a challenging gantlet that tests everything you've learned throughout the adventure. The level ends with a boss rush containing more intense versions of the previous bosses. After completing the level, Klonoa gives you infinite lives and his hat; which PAC-MAN (or Ms. PAC-MAN) wear for the rest of your playtime on that save file as a sign of 100% completion. The hat can always be put on or off through an ingame menu after it is obtained. 10 Sacred Universes + Final Boss NOT FINISHED!!! Sacred Universe No. 1: Mice City What used to be a peaceful and quiet town has turned into a crime-ridden cesspool dominated by cat gangsters. The small police force known as the "Micro Police" spearheaded by a mouse named Mappy are the only form of justice keeping the city in balance, at least, until PAC-MAN steps in to save the day. Mappy and PAC-MAN both agree to team up and take down a sleasy mob boss named "Goro;" who is the leader of the Cat Mafia. The plot revolves around Mappy getting tired of being unable to see his wife and kids due to the incredibly abundant crime sprees, which, in turn cause him to enter a monotonous cycle of hear about crime>leave house>find culprit>arrest culprit>repeat. As much as Mappy enjoys bringing justice to Mice City, sometimes it can get a little tiring for him; until, by fate, he meets PAC-MAN, who agrees to help take some of the workload off. Mice City's levels start off introductory, then by level 3 onwards, they let you take what you have learned from in-game tutorials and hits and use your skills to their fullest potential. Being the first Sacred Universe in the game, it eases newcomers into the game's tight, addictive platforming and collecting; while giving them a fair challenge that ramps up over time. Mice City: Conclusion After PAC-MAN confronts Goro and the rest of the Cat Mafia, the crime rate for Mice City goes down dramatically, and everyone has PAC-MAN to thank for making their home a better place. Mappy invites PAC-MAN to join the Micro Police, but PAC-MAN declines by saying "I would, but I'm trying to stop a universal crisis." Mappy responds proposing that he just invites PAC-MAN to a dinner party with his family instead. PAC-MAN, being the foodie that he is, gladly accepts. Sacred Universe No. 2: Diggin' It An underground village of monsters is forced to move to the surface after a crazy miner named Taizo begins to start stealing its resources for his own personal gain. They try to revolt against Taizo, but they cannot stop him, for he posesses an air pump that he uses to inflate and kill the monsters, in turn, leaving them helpless; until PAC-MAN shows up to help them get their home back. In this world, the village mailman, Paul the Pooka offers various forms of commentary and assistance during specific sections of levels, The village was inhabited by 2 species; Fygars and Pookas-and considering he is a Pooka, this was where he lived before he moved to Pac-Village. As a result e feels very strongly about the Taizo situation and wants to help PAC-MAN directly. The levels continue up a steady slope of increasing difficulty. The platforming is more puzzle oriented in this Sacred Universe; so expect lots of tricks and traps! Not only that, but some levels have a more "explorative" approach, where you travel around an open area in search of various items; similarly to how Super Mario Odyssey handled its Power Moons. Levels are divided within two locations; The Relocated Village, and The Tarnished Village. The Relocated Village takes place on the surface with the monsters, and The Tarnished Village takes place underground with the miners. Diggin' It: Conclusion Before a tense battle with Taizo, Paul the Pooka tells PAC-MAN that he wants to come with him personally. Prof. Pac advises Paul that it might be a bit dangerous, but Paul refuses to heed the Professor's warnings. DLC Universe: PAC-MAN Generations (To Be Released) Announced a month after the game's release, a new Sacred Universe based on different iterations of PAC-MAN will be coming in January 2021. Trivia *During development, PAC-MAN Universe was internally codenamed "PAC-MAN World 4: Universes" before a name was finalized. *There were plans to make a Sacred Universe based on the Japanese exclusive game "Valkyrie no Densetsu;" but the developers couldn't find a way to fit it into the story. Despite this, there are still various leftovers from that Sacred Universe's development, such as a fully textured model for Valkyrie. Not only that, but a full English translation of Valkyrie no Densetsu can be found in Prof. Pac's arcade as an unlockable. *There were also plans to redesign the Ghostly Adventures cast in the "classic" PAC-MAN artstyle, but the developers decided they wanted to continue the continuity the World series set up. *In PAC-MAN's house, the skateboard used by Jr. PAC-MAN in PAC-MAN World Rally can be seen hung up on a wall. *At one point, Sue, the "fifth ghost," was going to be included as a character as well, but this idea was scrapped. *Orson from the PAC-MAN World series would have played a major role in the game's plot, but this idea was also scrapped. *According to Namco themselves, the descision to have the game's worlds be based on other Namco games was made not only to celebrate the company's history, but also to "open the door for other possibilities." Fans have speculated that this could mean more potential franchise revivals. *PAC-MAN Universe is considered a "soft reboot" of the franchise, as while it takes place after the events of PAC-MAN World 3, there are enough elements different from the previous games for it to be considered its own thing. *At first, Namco wanted to create a "Ghostly Adventures 3." Internally, this idea was shot down almost immediately. *The Sacred Universe "Mice City" is heavily based on the Namco arcade game, Mappy. The city's name is a pun on "Vice City;" which is the primary setting in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The environment itself is heavily designed based on the courses from the original game and its "sequel;" Mappy Land. *The Sacred Universe "Diggin' It" is heavily based on the Namco arcade game, Dig Dug. The plot is an expansion on the fact that the main character in Dig Dug digs undeground and inflates monsters to the point of death. *Mr. Driller from the eponymous game was planned to make an appearence in "Diggin' It," but this never came to be. A photo of Mr. Driller and Taizo can be seen in the background of a flashback taking place in Taizo's house, likely alluding to the fact that Taizo is Mr. Driller's father. *"Taizo" is the canon name of the main character in Dig Dug. This fact was carried over into "Diggin' It." *PAC-MAN Universe was unintentionally a PlayStation 5 launch title. Bandai Namco just had access to the hardware during development, and decided to utilize it. *Martin T. Sherman, PAC-MAN's voice actor from PAC-MAN World 3, returns to reprise his role, but every other returning character has been recast; likely due to either Namco not reaching out, or a lack of interest. *This game marks Ms. PAC-MAN's first appearence in a game as a character since PAC-MAN World Rally, from 2006; 14 entire years! *The redesign of PAC-MAN that was used from PAC-MAN Party up until Championship Edition 2 could ''potentially ''be Jr. PAC-MAN, at least in this universe. Many pieces of in-game evidence point to this conclusion; including the fact that Jr. PAC-MAN wears a similar style of sneakers to those that "modern" PAC-MAN wore, and even though the rest of his design remains mostly "classic," his eyes have a slightly blue tint to them, to mirror "modern" PAC-MAN's pupils without actually giving Jr pupils. It's likely that this was done to retcon Ghostly Adventures while also trying to explain why "modern" PAC-MAN was younger than any previous iteration of the character. 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